Written by Liz Walkden – Learning Technologist in the Faculty of Health and Medicine

Over the past month, I have received some cries for help when it comes to successfully recording videos and adding subtitles to them.

We know that the use of video is a really significant part of teaching and they have really positive benefits for both students and staff. Videos are engaging, accessible, reusable, cost-effective, great revision aids, and more!!!

However, they can be difficult and time-consuming to make if you don’t use the right tool for the job!

So here is a brief introduction to three tools available to you here at Lancaster that allow you to record videos. Hopefully this will help you choose the right one for you:

Microsoft Teams

Teams is for teams. It is a collaboration tool where you can record a meeting of multiple people who share screens and discuss a topic. You might be using Teams if you need to record a meeting for posterity or you used it to record a “live lecture” for distance learners. You would then upload this video to eStream as Teams meetings stored in OneDrive will expire after 60 days. You are able to create the subtitles in eStream using Microsoft Azure if needed. From there, you can upload the video to Moodle using an activity such as the ‘Page’ or ‘Text and Media’ activity.

However, Teams isn’t useful when it comes to recording an individual person who might be presenting content solo to create an asynchronous resource for students. The faff of uploading a video created in Teams, then uploading it to eStream and then uploading it to Moodle is quite something! This is made more time-consuming when you are trying to upload the transcript or captions along with it. Just record a video like this directly into eStream (or you could use Panopto – see below). Save yourself some time!

You can find further information on the Recording Microsoft Teams meetings page.

eStream

You can use eStream for both recording and storing videos. Students and staff can use it and it integrates well with Moodle which is why it is recommended for students who need to record and upload a video as part of their assignments.

If you are recording a one-off video, such as a ‘Welcome to the Course’ style introduction, eStream is the best tool for the job. You can record using eStream, add subtitles automatically through Microsoft Azure (available in eStream), and then upload to Moodle. You can embed the video on a course page or add it using a Moodle activity such as the ‘Page’ or ‘Text and Media Area’ (look for the little green ‘e’ icon in the text editor in the activity settings).

More information and training on how to use eStream can be found in the portal.

Panopto

Panopto is our lecture capture system which is used within lecture theatres however, the software can also be downloaded onto your laptop for use for recording lectures, introductions and other educational videos. This can be done via AppsAnywhere. Panopto has the added bonus of being able to add quizzes and YouTube videos to your recordings. It can also record more than one screen/input at once if needed. Again, this is a great option if you are recording a video on your own without a ‘Team’ but need to share it via Moodle for your students using the Panopto activity. You can also generate captions automatically in Panopto.

More information and training on how to use Panopto can be found in the portal.

As always, feel free to get in touch with myself (Liz Walkden) or the ISS Digital Learning Team via the help centre with any questions about video production.

Written by Andy Holgate, Library Digital Skills Developer

In this blog post I’ll be talking you through some aspects of LinkedIn Learning that you may not know, and if you did know them, you get a bonus point for each (no prize unfortunately) but before that let me explain what LinkedIn Learning is.

LinkedIn Learning provides access to over 18,000 online learning courses, taught by industry experts. It is video based, and courses range from a couple of minutes to several hours. It is available to staff and students at Lancaster Bailrigg, Ghana and Leipzig campuses. LinkedIn courses support skills and personal development across a broad range of topics, particularly in the areas of technology, business, and creative skills.

You can access the ASK LinkedIn Learning Guidance or go directly to the Lancaster LinkedIn Learning Sign in page.

You do NOT need a LinkedIn Account to access LinkedIn Learning.

Just because they share the same name, does not mean they are the same platform. Ask yourself does a Red Panda look the same as Giant Panda? They are however both called Pandas. LinkedIn is the social media platform; LinkedIn Learning is a learning platform – they both do very different things and provide different services.
You can of course connect your LinkedIn social media profile with your learning profile if you wish or you can take courses without posting to the world about it.

There is a quality control process for content.

One of the questions I’ve faced when I’ve been speaking to staff about LinkedIn Learning is “How do we know the quality is good before we take or recommend a course?”, and it’s a very valid one. First of all those who are teaching courses have to apply, they then go through an interview process and if successful are assigned a producer and script editor (remember it’s video learning).
They are then flown to the company studios in Geneva or Chicago and recorded, they receive payment and royalties based on how many people watch their courses so it is in their own interest to make it engaging.

Have a look at some courses, check out the teachers background, ultimately you have the choice (like you do with reading an academic textbook) of deciding if it meets your high standards.

You can learn a wealth of new skills.

Now you probably guessed that you could visit LinkedIn Learning for your professional development and learn how to create pivot tables in Excel, create amazing presentations, or start coding with Python but did you know that you can also learn how to play acoustic guitar , use your phone to take creative photos of your pets, learn how to paint or learn to speak Spanish and much more.

Keeping up to date with the latest trends.

Let’s face it, in the summer of 2023 there is probably nothing more terrifying than being in a work team meeting and hearing “Right what are we doing about AI?”. If you are anything like me (and old like me) your palms will start to sweat as you nervously look at your feet and instantly think of a Terminator movie.
LinkedIn Learning updates and adds over 50 courses each week and it has loads of easy to understand and digest content on AI. Have a look at the course AI Trends which was updated on the 24^th August and stop looking nervously at your feet.

Supplementing curricular teaching.

You can enhance your students experience by letting LinkedIn Learning work for you.
LinkedIn Learning is a great all-in-one solution for enhancing all types of education. From soft skills to software, there’s a course to add (not replace) value to any academic program.
It can be used to teach technical and presentation skills outside of the classroom, flipping the classroom and supporting hybrid learning. Maybe think about using it with pre-arrival students? Courses and videos can be linked to from Moodle.

Save the department some money?

If you are a line manager, it may come up in a staff member’s PDR that they would like some development, rather than send them on an external course, why not first have a look to see what is available in LinkedIn Learning – the department would save on course fees, travel etc.

Enhance your career prospects.

So I had better whisper this one, if you want to take a step up the ladder or indeed go in a completely different direction have a look at LinkedIn Learning. There are courses on writing your CV, writing a cover letter and mastering common interview questions.

If you decide that you have had enough of being a librarian and you want to be a Social Media Manager then you can follow the Role guide which will give you a variety of courses to start you on your journey and suggest learning groups that you can join on LinkedIn, so that you can interact with peers in that industry. So what are you waiting for, enhance your skills and develop your career BUT please stay, we like you. Continue reading 10 Things that you probably didn’t know about LinkedIn Learning →